Italian
Jharrel Jerome first spent time with Anthony Robles, the college wrestling champ he portrays in the new film “Unstoppable,” in a gym. Instead of sharing a meal and exchanging pleasantries at a restaurant or coffee shop, the two men got to know each other by diving into a 45-minute workout, complete with pushups, chest presses and intense cardio.
“I’m not a weak guy, but I’m definitely not a gym rat,” says Jerome. “Seeing Anthony in his element made me realize how much I had to do if I was going to pull this off.”
That wasn’t the only challenge Jerome faced. What made Robles so remarkable on the mat was that he not only dominated his opponents, outmaneuvering them with his quicksilver instincts and viper-like moves — but he rose to the top of the sport despite being born with one leg. That made his wrestling style unconventional, to say the least, requiring him to drop to his knee before springing forward to knock his foes off balance. Jerome spent hours with Robles trying to master his approach.
“This was not the typical experience you have when you play a real person, where you watch some YouTube clips and schedule a Zoom meeting where you ask a few questions,” Jerome says. “This was having him coach me for 14 hours a day, repeating the same moves again and again. He taught me to use my fists and my arms and to stretch and pull with all these different parts of my body. It was the most physically challenging thing I’ve ever done.”
Popular on Variety Robles didn’t just instruct Jerome; he served as his body double too. That gave Jerome a chance to observe the star athlete in action.
“Anthony is so sweet, and he always has a big smile, but he saves this whole other side in the ring,” says Jerome. “He turns into a killer.”
“Unstoppable” documents Robles’ athletic feats (he won the NCAA wrestling championship despite beginning his college career as a walk-on at Arizona State), as well as the turbulent home life that made his accomplishments even more incredible. Robles’ mother, Judy (portrayed by Jennifer Lopez), had him while she was still a teenager. She then had to deal with his abusive stepfather while struggling to keep the bank from foreclosing on their home. “We felt a real responsibility to get things right,” Jerome says.
Lopez shared his determination. Jerome was a fan of the pop star from his days “growing up Dominican in the Bronx.” But he left “Unstoppable” filled with a newfound respect for her acting.
“She shut off the world-class entertainer part of herself and fell into the character,” he says. “The first time I saw her, she had all these questions about our relationship, and she brought this script that was heavily annotated. She was a real scene partner.”
“Unstoppable” marks an important first for the 27-year-old actor, who won an Emmy for his harrowing turn in “When They See Us” as one of the teens wrongly convicted in the Central Park jogger case. It was his first time getting offered a movie without auditioning, as well as his first leading role in a major studio feature. But after he landed the part in 2019, there were times he feared “Unstoppable” might not make it to screens. First COVID delayed production, then the 2023 writers and actors strikes shut down filming again. “This has been a five-year journey,” he says. “It often felt like it wouldn’t happen.”
Jerome hasn’t decided on a follow-up to “Unstoppable,” but he hopes that the movie will put him on more casting directors’ radars. And though shooting wrapped months ago and he’s in the middle of a promotional blitz before the Amazon MGM film’s Dec. 6 theatrical release, he isn’t ready to hang up his singlet.
“The other day, I spent hours looking up different wrestling programs around me,” he says. “I’ve formed an addiction to the sport, but I realize that even with all the training, I’m not ready to go toe-to-toe in a real match. When you’re making a movie, it’s designed so you win all the time.”
